EastEnders have confirmed the soap's fan favourite Roxy Mitchell will return to screens on Thursday night in a surprising new twist.
Roxy actress Rita Simons reprising her role six years after her tragic exit.
Roxy was shockingly killed off in devastating scenes in January 2017, alongside her sister Ronnie Mitchell.
The deaths sparked a major backlash with viewers who slammed the soap for killing the pair off, instead of leaving the door open for a future return. Ronnie drowned in her wedding dress while trying to save her sister.
Roxy had dived into a pool at Ronnie's wedding venue, but as she hit the water she suffered a heart attack - thought to be a result of her taking drugs.
Six years on and fans have been desperate for a twist to see the sisters return, calling their exits the soap's biggest ever mistake.
That wish will come true very briefly regarding one of the Mitchell sisters this week, as Roxy makes a brief comeback as part of onscreen daughter Amy Mitchell's latest storyline.
The teenager has been struggling with self-harming for months after taunts at school last year.
Amy has really struggled, especially recently, with not having her mother around and has often shared her grief for her late mum.
Her bottled up grief has clashed with other drama, including issues at school and her dad Jack Branning's split from Denise Fox after a brief fling.
It's all got too much for Amy recently with her losing control again, and in scenes on Thursday night her mother makes an appearance as she looks to her mother once more for help.
Amy wants nothing more than the advice of Roxy and seeks her help in her darkest moments, while knowing nothing will bring her back.
But in surprising scenes Roxy will appear to Amy on Thursday night, just as her family attend a group therapy session.
Amy is encouraged to open up about her emotions surrounding the loss of her mum, and Roxy appears as a figment of her imagination.
While it's in vision form, Roxy is seen on screen in new scenes that were filmed recently with actress Rita.
Speaking about the moment, Executive Producer Chris Clenshaw revealed: "I’m thrilled to welcome the fabulous Rita back to the iconic role of Roxy Mitchell for these special scenes.
"Although the character was last seen on-screen in January 2017, Roxy still remains a fan favourite. We know our audiences will be thrilled at her short return as Amy seeks some all-important answers from her mum at this point in the storyline."
EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
